The present invention relates to athlete's landing pits and, more particularly, to a portable landing pit which is adapted for use by long jumpers and triple jumpers.
A variety of athlete's landing pits have been used in the prior art for cushioning the vertical momentum of high jumpers and pole-vaulters. Such pits typically take the form of a thick foam cushion covered by fabric layers and placed behind a clearance bar used by the jumper. These pits have gained wide acceptance particularly because of their portability and the ease of construction and disassembly, particularly when used for indoor track meets. They have therefore, to a great extent, replaced the older sawdust-filled high jump pits, even for use outdoors.
At present, however, no satisfactory portable landing pit has been devised for use by distance jumpers as opposed to height jumpers. Thus, for long jumpers and triple jumpers, it is still necessary to build a framework in which sand, or a similar material, is maintained as a landing and marking surface. Thus, it is common in such athletic endeavors to smooth the upper surface of a sand layer and to have the athlete jump thereon, the depression made in the smooth upper sand surface used to measure the distance of the jump. In addition, the weight of the sand itself is sufficient to absorb the lateral momentum of the athlete to protect the athlete from injury.
Such sand pits produce a number of difficulties. Initially, it will be recognized that the sand material is extremely heavy and is used as a bulk product, so that it is extremely difficult to assemble, disassemble, and store such pits. Therefore, they have typically been installed as a permanent outdoor facility, the sand generally being placed in a shallow excavation in the ground so that the runway used by the jumper can be at ground level. Such pits, of course, have particular drainage problems when used outdoors.
Even more inconvenient is the construction of sand pits indoors. Such pits are commonly positioned adjacent an elevated runway and include elevated side walls for confining a layer of sand. The side walls themselves, generally being rigid wood members, are a hazard to the jumper. In addition, during indoor track meets the runway and pit combination is usually quite long and therefore extends adjacent a track surface. The sand which is sprayed from the pit surface during a jump is therefore often hazardous to track runners. In addition, long jumpers often complete their jump by running off the end of the pit which may interfere with runners on an adjacent track.
Because of the hazard to track runners and because of the substantial expense and difficulty of assembling a sand pit, there is substantial concern that the long jump and triple jump will be discontinued in indoor track meets. This fear is increased by the fact that the sand pits require substantial maintenance during a track meet, often requiring as many as ten attendants for properly smoothing the sand surface between jumps and measuring jump distances, so that the overall cost of providing a long jump at an indoor track meet is excessive. Furthermore, the length of time required to smooth the sand surface and prepare it for each jump is excessive when a sand pit is used, so that these track events become somewhat boring to the audience.